Receptacle closure



I INVENTUR L. R. N. CARVALHO RECEPTACLE CLOSURE Original Filed Oct. 29,1921 Aug-14, 192s.

Patented Aug. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESLIE 3 N. OARVALHO, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CLOSURE SERVICECOM- PAN Y,

01 TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BECEPTAGLE CLOSURE Original application filed October 29, 1921, SerialNo. 511,392. Divided and this application filed June 30,

1924. Serial No. 723,146.

My invention relates to a receptacle closure and, as herein shown, isparticularly designed for use as a cap or closure for relatively smallnecked bottles, although it may 5 be satisfactorily used. as a. closurefor receptacles of other kinds and proportions.-

An object of the invention is to provide an eflicient closure which maybe cheaply and easily manufactured and which will serve normally to sealthe receptacle, and

which may be readily released and when released will still be eflicientfor use as temporary closure. In its preferred form, the closurecomprises a top piece or cover portion formed of a piece of sheetmaterial, and adepending flange portion formed of a separate piece fromthe cover portion, said parts united by a seam, the flange portionhaving its lower edge adapted to be tornofl' for releasing the closure,while leaving the upper part unchanged and ready for use as asatisfactory and temporary closure.

Other features of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The present application is a division of my co-pendin application,Serial Number 511,392, filed cto er 29, 1921, for rece tacle closure, onwhich Patent No. 1,510,45 was granted October 7, 1924.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a closure, and the receptacletowhich it is applied, the parts being shown partly in vertical section.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view at the plane of the line 11-11on Figure 1.

Figure 3 .is an elevation view of the closure.

The closure as herein shown comprises a cover portion G and a flangeportion H formed of separate pieces of sheet metal and connected by anannular'seam 3. The flange portion is stamped from a piece of flat sheetmetal, is then bent into cylindrical form and its ends united by aseam 2extending vertically of the closure.

The seam 3 is preferably, though not necessarily, of a character suchthat it holds the cover and flange parts rigidly and immovably connectedtogether and at the same time provides an attractively rounded edge theneck surface at the upper edge of the closure pro jecting above theuppermost surface of the cover, serving to frame the cover and protectagainst injury any lacquer, paint or other ornamentation carried by thecover. This seam also serves as an effective reenforcing element formaintaining the cover against distortion at all times.

Within the closure, resting against the inner surface of the cover, is agasket 5 of cork or other suitable material, held in position byfrictional engagement with the walls of the flange portion of theclosure. The flange port1on H is formed with screw threads or spiralportions 6 extending circumferentially of the closure to fitcorresponding screw threads formed on the neck of the container. Thelower edge 7 of the flange portion is bent or flanged inwardly tounderlie an annular bead 1 formed on of the receptacle below thethreaded portion thereofn At a point spaced a ,short distance above thelower edge, the flange portion H of the closure is formed with a scoreline 8 extending substantiall throughout the circumference thereof andadapting the portion of the closure below 'said line to be severed ortorn off from the portion above when it is desired to remove theclosure.

As a convenient-means by. which to tear off the removable strip orportion 9 of the from one end of said portion and overlaps e theopposite end, said tongue being adapted to be lifted by the usersfingers and to constitute an eflicient finger grip. If desired, thestrip 9 may be wholly severed from the main portion of the flange as at11 for a suitable distance along the score line 8," so as to provide aneffective length for the tongue without the necessityof providing anadded length or rojection on the blank from which the Ii ange H isformed. A decided economy in material is thus effected and yet a verysatisfactory finger grip size given to the tongue by means of the slit11.

The lower margin of the blank providing the gripping bend 7 is alsoomitted or cut away adjacent to the tongue 10 for approxiindicated? forexample,

matel the same distance as the length of the sit 11 so as not tointerfere with the proper functioning of the tongue.

The seam 2 may be of any form or kind, but is herein shown to be of theinterlocking type, that is, the blank is provided with opposite endportions bent back upon themselves and these are interengaged with eachother. This interlocking seam may extend for any desired portion of thevertical length of the flange H, the remaining portion bein either aplain butt or la j omt, as

at 17. t is preferred that the interlocking seam shall appear at leastat a point closely adjacent to the score 8.so as to thereby preventopening of the seam when force is applied in tearing 03 the attachingstrip 9. In this connection, it is to be noted that the provision of theslit 11 not only afl'ords advantages as above mentioned, but also placesthe point 18, where the tearing operation begins, at a positionsuificiently removed from the seam, so that the strain ap lied in be ingthe tearing operation is Eelt by the Eddy of the closure at a pointremoved from the seam, where it is less likely to cause the seam toopen.

The tongue 10 is referably formed on that end of the bla which in thecompleted closure lies under the opposite end, along seam 2, so that theends of the flange H are less liable to be separated at the seam whenthe tongue is torn back.

As a further precaution against possible opening of the seam when thetongue is torn back, the seam, particularly at its lower end adjacentthe tongue, may be distorted or otherwise operated upon'so that thestrain of tearing back the tongue, whether the tongue be upon the upperor nether end of the blank, will be resisted by positively lockedortions of the seam.

A suitable distortion of the seam for this purpose is shown to consistof an annular end 20 positioned so that it constitutes in effect anornamental addition to the closure continuin across the seam, so thatthe va rious thic nesses of metal of the seam are bent to form thetransverse curvature of the seam and are thus caused to present suchopposing surfaces to each other, that separation would be unlikely.

By extending the seam to or near the point where the tearing off of theattaching portion 9 begins, said seam is made to constitute an efficientreenforcing element for preventing likelihood of distortion of theclosure under the initial tearing strain, and this is particularly truewhere the seam is itself locked against separation, as just described.

It is to be noted that the position of the head 20, being directly aboveand adjacent to the score 8, places said score in a protected positionbeneath the head. When the attaching portion 9, therefore, has been tornoff, the resultant raw-edge left upon the body of the closure will be soobscured and protected that it will offer neither an undesirableappearance nor a menace to the users fingers. The bead also stitiens thelower edge of the closure and prevents distortion of said lower edgeboth during the tearing oif operation and afterward. The score 8 may beformed by cutting into the metal from either the outer or inner surface.

A closure constructed as herein disclosed requires no additional orseparately formed receptacle seal; that is, it carries its own sealingelement as a substantial part of itself. It may be painted, lacquered orotherwise ornamented and protected on either or both of its top or itsside surfaces.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of myinvention.

What I claim is:

1. A receptacle closure comprising a cover part and a one-piece screwthreaded skirt part, the skirt part having a side seam therein, thelower portion of the skirt part being adapted to be bent inwardly toconstitute a holding means to retain the closure in sealing positionupon a receptacle, and said skirt part having a vertical slit extendingupwardly from the bottom edge thereof and having a finger gripcontinuing from one wall of said slit by which to tear off the lowerportion of the skirt art, said wall of the skirt part being s aced romthe seam for the purpose set fortii. I

a 2. A receptacle closure comprising cover and flan e portions, theflange portion being formed rom a piece of sheet material bent intocylindrical form and having its meeting edges seamed together by a seamextending vertically of the closure, the flange portion comprising anannular bead formed thereon intermediate the upper and lower ends of theflange, said head extending circumferentially around the flan e, theflange above the bead being forme with screw threads also extendingcircumferentially thereof and merging into and terminaitn at said head,the flange being formed wit a score line extending circumferentiallythereof below and in close proximiitiy to said head, whereby theportionof the ange below the head is removable and forms an integral attachingportion.

3. A receptacle closure comprising a onepiece screw threated skirtportion having a side seam therein, the lower portion of the skirt beingadapted to be bent inwardly to constitute a holding means to retain theclosure in sealing position upon a receptacle, said skirt ortion havinga circumferentiallv extent ing score line adjacent the inwardly bentportion and an outwardly formed bead immediately above said score line,said skirt portion having a vertical said outwardly formed rib being solocated slit extending upwardly from its lower that it protects theexposed raw edge edge, a finger grip extendin circumferenformed by thetearing o' ration. tially from one wall of said slit b which the Signedat Toledo, in t e countyof Lucas 6 portlon of the skirt below sai scoreline and State of Ohio, this 27th day of June,

may be separated from the skirt permitting 1924.

removal 0 the closure from the receptacle, LESLIE R. N. CARVALHO.

